Kort's Monster
by StarkContrastStartles
Summary: Since Kort proved himself to be an amazing character in Swan Song and Pyramid, I thought that I would do a little Kort story. Operation Frankenstein was kind of intriguing as well.


**I LOVE Kort's character so I wanted to do a thing about him. It was a break from revision and 'Domestic Fury' so I enjoyed it as well. He's British and much more interesting than the other additional characters they bring in. Kort and Franks: the two best recurring characters. But I guess we're just left with Kort after Swan Song and, if Ray succeeds in killing Kort, there will be no good recurring characters. (EJ is terrible and I refuse to classify her as recurring. She WON'T return for Season 9, I won't allow it.)**

Kort kept his composure as he studied Vance's face. For some inexplicable reason, he was more concerned with Vance's reaction than the SecNav's. Perhaps it was because the Secretary would be more easily persuaded by higher authority. Vance needed to believe himself that it was a worthy cause. Kort certainly believed that it was.

Or he had. Now he wasn't so sure. Cobb had fallen off the bandwagon, running away from the future he has carved for himself when he joined the programme. He had been his decision, Kort told himself. Cobb only had himself to blame. Of course, Kort had tried all he could to hold onto Cobb but some things were beyond Kort's power.

He didn't mind admitting that he was not omnipotent. He told Vance and the SecNav that he had failed to keep Cobb stable. He was an honest man, if not particularly scrupulous. Feeling that he surfed above the restrictions of perceptions and rules, Kort had space to move about. He could happily piss of the Secretary, the Director of NCIS, Gibbs. There would be no consequences for him.

He had survived Director Sheppard's distaste; he could easily brush off Director Vance's contempt. Higher powers than them had Kort's ear so he was free to mess up from time to time. Being a maverick was what set him apart from Agent Cruz and the other CIA lap dogs. He had spirit and wasn't afraid to pull away from the crowd.

However, running alone had its drawbacks. Frankenstein had gone off the rails and was currently hanging off the viaduct, looking forward to a steep drop into the swirling waves below. Vance had managed to jump clear, the Secretary had pledged to go down with his ship, and Kort was leaning idly on the last carriage, considering his brain child's fate.

He would miss Frankenstein. After losing his long-term undercover position as La Grenouille's right hand man, Frankenstein had given him another job which he enjoyed and was good at. He knew how to push the men to their limits and when to stop pushing. He was not a slave driver or a torturer. He was a teacher, helping the men fulfil their full potential. He never needed to assure himself of his innocence; he was sure enough of himself without it.

Granted, he had lost control of Cobb but that was _one _failure. He had dozens of successes pinned to his belt. He was untouchable. Gibbs and his team could despise him as much as they liked, they would never penetrate his thick skin. Insults were whacked back, like balls lobbed out of his court. He had been quite a tennis player in his youth. The loss of an eye might hold him back now, though.

DiNozzo had not been very sympathetic to his plight. To be honest, he hadn't been very sympathetic towards himself. It had been lost nobly. That was a consolation. It hadn't been lost in a shoot-out with a common terrorist, hit while skulking behind a metal shield. No, it had been wrenched from him in a fist-on-fist fight with a trained assassin. And Kort had held up his end marvellously well. He had saved a life at the expense of an eye.

A fair trade. Yet nobody thanked him. Naturally, he didn't even notice. But to any onlooker it would seem heartless and cruel not to applaud his bravery. He faced up to his mistakes and sought to right them. Not many agents on such a controversial black op could say that.

People thought that Frankenstein was inhumane. Kort disagreed. Training volunteers to become seasoned killers who would protect their country and uphold the honour of their agency was an honourable cause. Nobody was forced into joining the programme and, if they were thought to be incapable of handling the pressure, they were not allowed to continue. Every man who made it to the harder stages of the training were prepared physically and mentally for the challenges presented.

And, if it was difficult or wounded their pride, they shouldn't have put themselves forward. Cobb knew what he was getting into. If he decided, as an afterthought, that he regretted his decision, he should hold himself responsible. Kort accepted his fair share of the blame, but refused to take on the added, undeserved burden.

Waterboarding Kort had been fair, in his opinion. He wasn't pleased by it, but he wasn't complaining. Cobb had not been allowed to complain when it had happened to him, so Kort held up the same standards. He was a little embarrassed to be unveiled in front of his adversaries of Vance and Gibbs, but he accepted it. Cobb had got his revenge. Just before the satisfaction had been wiped from his face.

Kort was released from his restraints, after Barrett and the Autopsy guy, he noted drily. He had a curt exchange with Vance before leaving and heading back to his hotel room. A quick shower, pack, then sign out. He hailed a passing taxi and threw his small bag in, asking for the airport. It was less luxurious than the company cars he was used to but Kort was adaptable.

Adaptable enough to accept his duty. Calling in, he cleared a trip to Israel. It wasn't hard: he had slept with most of the women who answered the phone. They were pretty, he was unattached; why not? He had some more business to clear before he could put Frankenstein behind him. The remaining assassins would most likely be moved to another project suited to their skills.

No more personal favours for foreign politicos. It wouldn't be him that lost out anyway so he didn't mind; he had never benefited much from the private contracts, the money had all gone higher up on the food chain. Nevertheless, it had served him well. He now had contacts at the top of the pyramid and it would be easy to negotiate for future jobs.

Tel Aviv was awaiting him. Of course, he knew that the CIA would soon be chasing him. They would most certainly want to rid themselves of this embarrassment. He could ward them off pretty easily, he was sure. At a guess, Cruz would be sent after him. He could deal with Cruz. He was soft, as proved by his relationship with Agent David.

Kort didn't do relationships. For one thing, he preferred to be free to suit his own schedule. For another, he didn't want to leave anybody behind him. He knew that the job was dangerous and he didn't want to have to be careful for the sake of someone else. If he wanted to put himself in the line of fire, he needed to be free to do so. Wives and kids made that guilt-free choice more difficult. He would almost feel guilty if it came to killing Cruz.

Almost.


End file.
